Is Experimental film an excuse?

I respect independent film because of the hard work, craftsmanship, and commitment that it entails.  I don't respect the lazy storytelling that often plagues so many of the more mainstream studio movies.

While I believe that quality may be subjective, I don't think the core of storytelling is. Production value not withstanding, a story without heart is just that, no matter how pretty it's packaged.

The mentality of "make it fast in order to make money" is ultimately the downfall of the larger studio projects (even box office successes) that proceed without a sound script.

That being said, many of the local indie ventures suffer a similar fate.  The filmmakers rush to production so they can get it out there and get noticed, but in the end I believe that approach has the opposite effect.  They can surround themselves with the cream of the local talent pool and make the most of their production dollar, but if it's invested in a flawed (often first, early, or dare I say "crap") draft, the flawed story stands out.  I don't think anyone wants to be noticed for that.

"It's experimental," is an excuse for not having the patience to craft a good story.  Using cool visuals to create emotional subtext will not carry a shallow script.  The people Indie filmmakers are looking to impress are savvy to that, and the only thing that ends up being "experimental" about the film is whether or not a sound, cohesive story can be cut together to fool an audience.

All of this being said, sometimes it works.  Sometimes.  When it does, I don't think it's possible for the filmmaker to duplicate that success.  Not in the same way.  Hopefully it will lead to a better understanding of story and a little more patience in the script writing (that is to say foundation building) process.

The irony is that Indie filmmakers often rail against the studios for putting out crap, when in the end, they are making similar choices for different reasons.